


Be My Mistake

by honeymoons



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst, Hurt, M/M, Not Canon Compliant - This Story Ignores The Events of Infinity War and Endgame, Sad Ending, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-31 12:28:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19425991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeymoons/pseuds/honeymoons
Summary: Peter remembered the exact moment he met Mr. Stark.(A recollection of memories, good and bad.)





	Be My Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> It's been three years since I last published but I finally got around to completing a story, and it's all because of Tony and Peter. Yeah, its been a long time coming. As mentioned in the tags, this story ignores the events of Infinity War and Endgame. With that being said, I hope you enjoy the story!

_“And I remember when I met him, it was so clear that he was the only one for me. [...] He was charismatic, magnetic, electric and everybody knew it. [...] I always got the sense that he became torn between being a good person and missing out on all of the opportunities that life could offer a man as magnificent as him. And in that way I understood him...I loved him, I loved him, I loved him. And I still love him. I love him.”_

— _Lana del Rey, National Anthem_

/

Peter remembered the exact moment he met Mr. Stark. It was a regular day, like any other. He’d come back from school to find Tony Stark in his living room, snacking on a date loaf. Peter had been rendered speechless, flustered to be in the presence of the man he’d idolized since childhood. He stammered out a greeting, surely making a fool of himself in front of the business magnate. Mr. Stark gave him a friendly smile, his demeanor as calm and collected as he always seemed to be.

When they talked in Peter’s bedroom, Mr. Stark proposed that Peter come along with him to Germany. He was tempted at first but rejected the offer after thinking of how much class he’d miss. Call him a nerd but playing catch up in school was never fun. 

Mr. Stark gave him an exasperated look. “This is the chance for you to help out the little guy on a major scale,” Mr. Stark said.

Peter hesitated. “What exactly would I be helping you with, anyway?”

Mr. Stark grimaced. “I’m going to go talk to Captain America. We got into a little...tiff, a while back, and we need to sort things out. If things go south, I’ll need you there as backup.”

“Go south as in…fighting Captain America?” Peter’s eyes widened. “No way! He’s like, super strong, he’d pulverize us.”

“I appreciate your vote of confidence,” Mr. Stark replied dryly. “And I’ll have you know that I could totally take on Captain Spangles. Anyways, just think about it, would you?”

Peter paused. He’d never set out to become a superhero. He only wanted to help out and do what he could to make the world a better place with the abilities he’d been gifted with. But here was his hero, standing in front of him, offering him a chance to do even more. It was a no brainer. Peter caved. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

Mr. Stark stood up and clapped his hands together. “Great, glad we got that sorted out.”

“But you have to promise you won’t say a word to Aunt May,” Peter said seriously.

“Scout’s honor.” Mr. Stark raised a hand in mock salute and winked.

The night before the big confrontation, Happy led him to a big, white briefcase. Peter gazed at it curiously, trying to figure out what was inside. In it was a neatly folded, upgraded version of the Spider-Man suit, accompanied by a note.

_A minor upgrade._

_\- T.S._

Peter didn’t think he could get anymore starstruck than during his first encounter with Mr. Stark, but his hero worship was only heightened by the fact that the man created a new suit just for him. He ran his fingers over the material, taking in the feel of the high quality fabric. He wouldn’t let Mr. Stark down.

/

Knowing Mr. Stark in real life was completely different from admiring him from afar. For one, Peter had an actual working relationship with the billionaire now. When Mr. Stark offered Peter the opportunity to join the Avengers, his heart leapt into his throat. The older man had always treated him like he was a child. But now Mr. Stark was seeing him as someone capable of handling superhero duties. Despite the part of him that desperately wanted to accept the offer, Peter turned it down. It had to be a test. He wanted to prove that he was mature and responsible and had self control. He couldn’t squander Mr. Stark’s newfound faith in him.

That evening, when he was sprawled out on his bed, his phone buzzed with a text notification from an unknown number. He figured it was another annoying scam message, but opened it anyways. To his surprise, it was something much better.

_I’m proud of you, kid._

_\- T.S._

The message was brief, but Peter couldn’t contain his happiness. Mr. Stark had taken time out of his day to personally text Peter. He giddily saved the number under the name ‘Mr. Stark!!!,’ complete with exclamation points and emojis. He stared at his new contact with reverence. Mr. Stark was always there to help him and guide him, just like Uncle Ben used to. Except that the way Peter felt about Mr. Stark was completely different from how he felt about Ben—being around Mr. Stark always made him tongue tied and clammy. Peter flushed and buried his face into his pillow.

/

Peter had to admit that a small part of him worried that Mr. Stark would forget about him after he turned down the chance to be an Avenger. To his delight, it turned out to be quite the opposite. Mr. Stark started inviting him over to work in the lab quite frequently, and it became a weekly ritual for them. Eventually, the media began to question why Peter was constantly seen entering and exiting the Avengers compound. Mr. Stark quickly came up with a cover—Peter would officially be introduced as his personal intern.

“I don’t think I’m even qualified to mop the floors here,” Peter protested.

Mr. Stark waved away his concerns. “You’re a genius, kid. You’re more than qualified to be my intern.” And in typical Tony Stark fashion, he went the extra mile and had a certificate printed and framed for Peter. They posed together for a photo, and it was sent out to the press.

The next time Peter entered the lab, he saw the photo, framed, sitting Mr. Stark’s desk. A warm feeling spread throughout his body. “I’m touched, Mr. Stark.” It took effort to keep his voice steady.

Mr. Stark grinned at him. “Only the best for my favorite intern.”

“I’m your only intern.”

“Yeah, well, you’re still my favorite.”

Peter walked over and threw his arms around his mentor, pulling him into a tight hug.

/

Part of being an intern meant that he had to attend Stark Industries events, or so Mr. Stark had insisted. “It’ll be good practice for the future. Networking and all that.”

That was how Peter ended up lurking in the corner of a large ballroom on a Friday night. He shifted awkwardly, feeling out of his element. There was a sudden uptick of noise in the room, and he looked around, trying to figure out what was happening.

It appeared that Mr. Stark had finally graced the party with his presence. He slowly descended the stairs, waving genially at the crowd. Ms. Potts was by his side, her hand wrapped around his arm. Peter watched as swarms of people rushed over to greet the couple. His eyes followed Mr. Stark as he walked around the room, taking time to chat with everyone.

There was something about the billionaire, something so electric and magnetic, that pulled everyone towards him. People hung onto his every word. Women tried to get his attention, flirting and touching him. Yet, despite all of that, Mr. Stark only ever glanced in Ms. Potts’ direction.

The sight made Peter’s hands ball up into fists, his entire being overcome by jealousy. Almost immediately the feeling was replaced by a wave of shame. Ms. Potts had only ever treated him with kindness but here he was, lusting after her fiancé. He turned and ran out of the venue, hurriedly apologizing to the people he bumped into in his haste to leave.

When Peter finally stopped running, he found himself standing in an empty alleyway. He leaned against the brick wall and slid down to the ground, his head hanging in his hands.

/

Mr. Stark wasn’t perfect, but he always tried his best. It was one of the things that Peter respected about him. “Mr. Stark,” Peter said during a late night lab session. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure. Fire away, kiddo,” Mr. Stark replied.

“Do you ever…” he trailed off before working up the nerve to finish his question. “Do you ever want to do something even though you know it’s wrong?”

Mr. Stark looked up from what he was working on, concern etched on his face. “Are you in some kind of trouble?”

“No,” Peter answered quickly. “It’s a hypothetical question.”

Mr. Stark gave him a skeptical look. “Uh-huh.” He scratched his chin. “Well, sometimes I hypothetically consider retiring from the superhero gig, for Pepper’s sake. But the good of the world always comes before everything else.” His expression grew weary. “Making the right choice is hard, Pete, but that’s our job.”

“Yeah.” Peter looked down at his hands. “I know.” And in that moment, he knew he could never tell Mr. Stark how he really felt.

/

Peter saw Mr. Stark walking over to him from out of the corner of his eye. He inhaled deeply, then forced his lips up into a smile. “Congratulations, Mr. Stark.”

Mr. Stark clapped him on the shoulder. “Kid, I thought we already went over this. How many more times do I have to tell you to call me Tony?”

“Sorry, force of habit,” Peter replied.

“Yeah, yeah.” Mr. Stark smiled at him fondly. “But thank you. It means a lot to me to have you here.”

“Of course. I couldn’t miss your wedding.” Peter pulled Mr. Stark into an embrace and savored the feeling of the man’s arms wrapped around him. Peter’s throat was tight, but he forced himself to speak. “I’m glad you’re happy. I love you, Tony.”

“Don’t you get all mushy on me,” Mr. Stark joked, but his voice was soft. “I love you too, Pete.”

Peter closed his eyes and wished that it was enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to leave kudos, comments, and/or constructive criticism. Feedback is greatly appreciated!
> 
> You can also find me on Tumblr at [ironspiderstan](http://ironspiderstan.tumblr.com).


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